Leave a £5 note on the classroom floor – Children should come into the classroom to find a £5 note on the floor. Let them talk about what they have found. Leave it a few minutes before entering the classroom. See what is said and allow discussion. Prompt with questions such as: What should you do with it? Should you take it to the police? Should we give it to the Head Teacher to deal with? Should we find the owner? Should we give it to charity? Should the person who found it just keep the money?

Write the different options on the board – Following the discussions and using the prompts above, list the options on the board and discuss the pros and cons for each option. Think about what God would want you to do and what Judaism might tell you to do.

Discuss the different laws for keeping money – Display and discuss the four different Interpretations For Keeping Money: UK Law, The Mishnah (rabbinic Commentary written about 1800 years ago) and 2 opinions from the Gemara (Further analysis by the rabbis following the Mishnah). Which interpretation do the class feel is most fair? Would it make a difference if it was more than a £50 note?

Activity

Option 1: Drama – Provide children with a scenario of a Moral Dilemmas Involving Money. Children to come up with three different endings for the audience to decide which would be the right thing to do, trying to justify their reasoning.

Option 2: Freeze Frame Art – Using the moral dilemmas children to create a freeze frame cartoon art depicting the scene. Add thought and speech bubbles and a narrative description of the scene to show what is happening.

Plenary

Plenary – Rip £5 note in half – Shock the children by ripping the £5 note in half. Discuss what implications this has. Does it mean that the money is worthless? (Technically no, as you can tape it up later!). Explain that money is only printed paper and steer discussion to whether paper is more important than morals and doing the right thing.